Consumer prices advanced 2.8 percent from a year earlier
after increasing 2.5 percent in June, the statistics office,
based in the capital, Vilnius, said today in an e-mailed
statement. Prices were unchanged on the month.

Lithuania needs to slow inflation to qualify for planned
euro adoption in 2014. Countries seeking to make the currency
change must keep inflation at less than 1.5 percentage points
above the average of the three lowest levels in the European
Union.

Household costs such as gas, water and electricity rose the
most of any category in the index, accelerating 7 percent in
July from a year earlier, the statistics office said. Lietuvos
Dujos AB, Lithuania’s gas utility, raised gas prices starting in
July.